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Cara Alectia Brew News Release

1.
www.cara-online.com
News Release
25 April 2009 – For Immediate Release
Cara Technology acquires ALECTIA Brew’s Yeast Collection and Supply Business
Cara Technology has strengthened its ability to support its global customer base with the
acquisition of ALECTIA Brew’s pure yeast culture storage and supply business. The agreement,
which took effect on 1 April 2009, marries one of the most famous businesses in brewing yeast
technology – ALECTIA Brew’s yeast business (originating from the Alfred Jørgensen Laboratory)
– with that of Cara Technology, a Company which has supported global brewery groups and
independent breweries for 14 years.
The yeast business will continue to operate from its production and testing facility in
Copenhagen with customers receiving regular supplies of dry and liquid pure yeast cultures
produced to rigorous (ISO9001:2000 certified) quality standards by the existing team. It will
trade as Cara Technology ApS.
Customers of both businesses will benefit from the expanded Company’s ability to analyse
brewery yeast samples and select improved strains of yeast in its laboratories in the UK,
together with the ability of the Danish facility to produce dried yeast of high viability and
vitality, suitable for direct inoculation into the brewery yeast propagation system.
Cara Technology Limited, Leatherhead Enterprise Centre, Randalls Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7RY, UK
tel +44(0)1372 822218, fax +44(0)1372 821599

2.
www.cara-online.com
Speaking of the transaction Anders Hummer, ALECTIA’s Vice President said “ALECTIA Brew’s
yeast collection and supply business has a special place in the brewing industry. Originating
from the Alfred Jørgensen Laboratory and then acquired by ALECTIA Brew in 2005, this unique
pure yeast facility provides an assurance to brewers that the yeast they are using in their
brewery is the right one, and produced to the highest quality standards. This gives them time to
focus on other parts of their business to generate real value.”
By combining its own yeast collection with that of ALECTIA Brew, Cara takes on responsibility
for what is arguably the largest repository of commercial brewing yeasts in the world. The
combined collection contains almost 700 yeast strains, some of which have a documented
provenance dating back to the 1890s. Dr Craig Duckham, Cara Technology’s Director of
Operations and Development explained “All yeasts are stored in liquid nitrogen at -196oC to
preserve their characteristics. This allows the character of the beers produced from them to be
maintained over many decades. As a risk management measure, each and every culture is
stored in two independent locations.”
Originally founded as the Alfred Jørgensen Laboratory in 1881, ALECTIA Brew’s yeast collection
lies deeply rooted within the international brewing community. In 1883, Carlsberg were the
first to use pure yeast cultures in their Copenhagen brewery. Initially, Jørgensen’s laboratory
played a considerable part in the global roll-out of this new technology. Working closely with
the Father of Pure Culture Yeast, Emil Christian Hansen, in less than 10 years, Jørgensen’s
laboratory introduced the use of pure yeast cultures produced in their Copenhagen facility to
Cara Technology Limited, Leatherhead Enterprise Centre, Randalls Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7RY, UK
tel +44(0)1372 822218, fax +44(0)1372 821599

3.
www.cara-online.com
more than 100 breweries throughout the world. With ALECTIA Brew’s acquisition of the yeast
collection in 2005, the supply of pure yeast cultures to the global brewing industry has
continued for a total of almost 130 years.
Speaking of the acquisition Cara’s Managing Director, Dr Bill Simpson said “We are delighted to
have the opportunity to build on the wonderful heritage of this business. Over the last 128
years the yeast laboratory has provided several hundred thousand batches of pure yeast to
almost a thousand breweries. Customers have included, and still include, some of the most
famous names in the industry, making many of the world’s most famous beers. Jørgensen’s
legacy is that the business is as relevant today as it was at the birth of pure culture yeast more
than a century ago.”
With the addition of the ALECTIA Brew’s yeast business, Cara Technology now supports around
400 brewery customers in more than 70 countries. The combined company has a staff of 22
and has enjoyed double-digit year on year growth for more than a decade.
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Editors’ notes
1. Founded in 1995 Cara Technology Limited (www.cara-online.com) helps the world’s brewing companies
prevent and solve beer production problems. Based near London in the UK, the business services customers in
more than 70 countries. They offer yeast management services, beer quality management services, problem
solving tools and training services. The company is a major supplier of pure yeast cultures to global brewery groups
and has responsibility for the preservation of the yeast used to make many important brands of beer.
2. ALECTIA A/S is one of the leading consulting companies in Denmark – prior to January 2008 the Company was
known as Birch & Krogboe A/S. ALECTIA solves tasks within building, pharma, breweries, hospitals, dairy, water
and occupational health and safety. The Company has specialized competencies within client's advice,
Cara Technology Limited, Leatherhead Enterprise Centre, Randalls Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7RY, UK
tel +44(0)1372 822218, fax +44(0)1372 821599

4.
www.cara-online.com
environment, fire, energy and fully automatic parking facilities. Its 745 employees are distributed all over
Denmark, with the majority in the main office in Virum north of Copenhagen and the rest in offices in Roskilde,
Århus, Odense, Vejle and Holstebro. A significant number of employees are stationed abroad, servicing the
Company’s ever-increasing international customer base. In 2005 ALECTIA acquired the brewery consulting
company Danbrew, and occupational health consultants Dansk Arbejdsmiljø and JobLiv Danmark in 2005 and 2006
respectively. In 2007 ALECTIA bought the water consulting company Watertech and later that year the dairy
consulting company MA-Project. On 1st August 2008 ALECTIA acquired UK Consulting Engineering Company
Penborn Technical Services, renaming the business ALECTIA Limited. These acquisitions have given ALECTIA a
market-leading position within breweries and occupational health and safety and a positioned the Company as a
major contestant within the water supply and dairy consultancy sectors. ALECTIA is owned by the Birch & Krogboe
Foundation.
3. The Alfred Jørgensen Laboratory has supplied brewers with pure yeast for almost 130 years. The laboratory
was founded by Alfred Jørgensen in 1881. Jørgensen was a renowned fermentation scientist with an international
reputation. In addition to his role as Director of the Laboratory he published two major works on yeast:
‘Microorganisms and Fermentation’ and ‘Practical Management of Pure Yeast’. Both books were translated into
many languages and published in multiple editions over more than six decades.
4. Photograph shows (left to right): Bill Simpson (Managing Director, Cara Technology), Anders Hummer (Vice
President, ALECTIA), Ingelise Bogason (CEO, ALECTIA) and Conny Sørensen (CFO, ALECTIA).
For further information:
Cara Technology Limited – Dr Bill Simpson, Managing Director – Email bill.simpson@cara-online.com – Tel +44 1372 822 218
ALECTIA A/S – Ingelise Bogason, CEO – Email - ilb@alectia.com - Tel + 45 51 28 55 55
Cara Technology Limited, Leatherhead Enterprise Centre, Randalls Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7RY, UK
tel +44(0)1372 822218, fax +44(0)1372 821599